Strengthening Exercises for Agility, Part 2

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Strengthening Exercises
for Agility, Part 2
By Debbie Gross Saunders, MSPT, OCS, CCRP
Photos by Clean Run
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Dogs participating in agility need a variety of strengthening
exercises not only to keep them at their peak performance,
but also to protect them against potential injuries. It is
essential to offer your agility dog cross-training activities
on at least a weekly basis, and a daily basis if possible. If
we examine human athletes, they participate in a variety
of activities in addition to their normal sport. For example,
an athlete involved in track and field not only trains for her
individual event, she participates in strengthening and
conditioning activities including weight lifting, plyometrics,
swimming, sprinting, and long-distance running.
Agility activities are wonderful for your dog, but to promote
his long-term health and wellness as well as to improve
performance, cross training is paramount. Part of your
cross training should include strengthening. Strengthening
exercises should be done with a healthy dog on a regular
basis, and absolutely must be done before an injured dog
returns to agility.
Last month we looked at exercises for increasing hind-end
awareness as well as increasing strength in the gluteal and
hamstring regions. This month we’ll look at exercises to
strengthen the quadriceps region and the forelimbs, and
to increase core and back strength.
Controlled sit to stand
• This exercise is equivalent to our performing squats
without any weight.
• Back the dog into a corner or up against a wall to avoid
excess movement.
• Use treats to encourage the dog to repetitively sit and
stand for sets of eight to ten, done to two to three times.
• Also encourage a full stand from a sit.
December 06
|
Clean Run
To Increase Strength in the
Quadriceps Region
The quadriceps are located in the front of the thigh and consist of four
muscles—the rectus femoris, the vastus medialis, the vastus lateralis,
and the vastus intermedius. The four muscles that are responsible
for extending the stifle and the rectus femoris also flex the hip. While
running, the dog uses these muscles to extend the stifle. Weakness can
develop in this muscle group after an injury, specifically with a cruciate
injury or a patellar luxation, or after a training hiatus.
Exercises to increase strength in the quadriceps region are appropriate
for:
• General hind-limb weakness
• Poor hind-limb coordination
• Patella luxations—both surgical and nonsurgical
• Cruciate injuries
Walking through tunnels
or under tables
• The goal is to have the dog squat to go
through the tunnel, and to go through
the tunnel at a slow to moderate
speed. The squatting motion works the
quadriceps region.
• If the dog is too short for a tunnel, you
can use a makeshift tunnel, such as a
short table (utility table).
• Encourage the dog to go through the
tunnel or under the table so that he is in
a squatting position while moving.
• Perform this exercise in sets of five, as
long as a lameness does not appear.
1
Hind-limb and forelimb lifts
Practice contacts in small areas!
And when the snow flies, work on
your contacts indoors!
• Lift the left forelimb and the right hind limb into a slight amount of
extension and hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Then lift the right forelimb and the left hind limb and hold for 5 to 10
seconds.
• Do this exercise 10 times on each side.
The Barb Davis Contact Trainer
6 ft. bridge ramp and 3 ft. A-frame ramp
Approximate angle of full-size contact obstacles
Lightweight and folds for easy storage
“My contact trainer gets a great deal of use even though I have a full set
of equipment. If I’m short on time, I can work dozens of contacts and
tunnel/contact discriminations in five minutes.
—Barb Davis
$155.00 plus S&H (S&H is from $45-$75 in the U.S. depending
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[email protected] or 509-924-3110
To Increase Core Stability
and Back Strength
Back and abdominal strength are commonly referred to
as core strength. Core strength is vital and is used in every
movement the dog performs in agility. The most obvious
place these muscles are used is when a dog goes over a
jump. Good core strength produces a more controlled jump
because the dog can collect or pull himself in as he jumps.
Think of a human diver: when he has good control, the diver
pulls his body in to collect himself during the dive.
Exercises to increase core stability and back strength are
appropriate for:
• Improving trunk control
• Improving coordination and collection for jumping
• Training young dogs
• Weakness in the back and stomach muscles
• Problems with roaching (convex curving) of the spine
Using a rocker board
• Purchase a rocker board or build your own using a sturdy piece of plywood
covered with a non-slip surface and mounted on a semicircular base. A BOSU
Balance Trainer (an exercise ball that’s been cut in half with a platform on
the top), for example, can be used as the base for your rocker board. For large
dogs, the rocker board needs to be at least 8" longer than your dog and twice
his width. A Buja board may be used for small dogs.
• Place the dog on the board and rock
him from side to side, and from front
to back, until the dog tires.
• The dog may sit, stand, or lie down
on the board.
• Place the dog’s forelimbs on the
ground while the hind limbs remain
on the rocker board as the board is
rocked from side to side, and from
front to back, until the dog tires.
2
Using a
Theraball
• Place the dog gently on the Theraball so that neither
his forelimbs nor hind limbs can reach the ground.
Maintain the dog’s spine in a flexed or rounded
position.
• Initially, bounce the dog gently to promote relaxation.
Most dogs do very well on the Theraball if they are
slowly introduced to the ball.
• Once the dog is comfortable, rock him at a gentle
angle from side to side and from front to back. As the
comfort level increases, rocking in all four directions
can be increased in amount.
• To further challenge the dog, he may be allowed to
reach forward or to the side for treats.
• Start Theraball activities with three- to five-minute
intervals. You’ll be surprised how quickly the dog will
fatigue with these short sessions. The sessions can be
progressively increased as the dog strengthens.
• The dog may also sit on the Theraball and be
encouraged to reach in different directions for a treat.
Looking up for a treat encourages the dog to place
more weight on the hind limbs, and reaching down
for a treat encourages the dog to place more weight
on the forelimbs.
Sit-up
Side sit-up
Doggie sit-ups
• Although this is a wonderful exercise to work on abdominals, not
every dog will allow himself to be placed on his back, especially on
the Theraball. So exercise caution when attempting this exercise.
Also, this exercise should not be performed with a dog that has any
type of intervertebral disc problem, secondary to the degree of
extension of the spine that is involved. The dog will need to extend
his spine back and this could potentially stress the area.
• While on his back, encourage the dog to lift his head and perform a
degree of thoracic flexion or forward movement to reach a treat.
• Begin with one or two sets of three with sit-ups because they are so
strenuous and difficult for the dog to perform.
• Also try to have the dog perform side sit-ups. Some dogs may be
more comfortable lying on their side to begin this type of activity.
Perform one set of three to five on each side.
With larger dogs, you
may find that sit-ups are
easier to help with when
using an egg-shaped ball
or physio-roll.
3
Walking down hills
Walking in sand
• Walking down hills focuses the weight on
the forelimbs.
• Walking in sand is more difficult than it appears and should be begun slowly.
• A zigzagging descent down the hill is the
safest route and places less stress on the
forelimbs. This caution is especially crucial
if a dog is recovering from a shoulder injury.
To Increase Strength of
the Forelimbs
With all the jumping and landing that our dogs do in agility, they
need adequate forelimb strength from their carpus up to their
shoulder blade. To protect the area and provide the strength
needed for agility, our dogs need stability and power.
Exercises to increase strength of the forelimbs are appropriate
for:
• General forelimb weakness
• Poor coordination of the forelimb
• Elbow dysplasia
• Arthritis of the forelimb muscle groups
• Recovery from biceps tendonitis
• Recovery from scapular injuries D
• The softer the sand, the more difficult it will be for the dog to walk. So start
this activity in hard-packed sand, if possible, and begin with two- to threeminute walks with the dog on leash.
• To increase the intensity of the exercise, walk the dog for longer distances,
up and down embankments and in zigzags.
• Pick up the dog’s hind
limbs above his midline
or center of the back
and walk him forward for
a distance of 15' to 20'.
• Increase intensity by increasing
the time and by wheelbarrowing
the dog down hills.
• Exercise caution if the dog has a
problem with his spine secondary
to the extension involved.
Wheelbarrowing
Note: The author wishes to thank Pam O’Day and her Sheltie, Quest, for
her assistance with pictures and advice.
Debbie Gross Saunders is a licensed physical therapist and a certified canine
rehabilitation practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the field. She
practices in Connecticut at the Pieper-Olson Veterinary Clinic. She and her husband
also have a rehabilitation and training center on their farm in Connecticut where
they specialize in the rehabilitation, nutrition, and conditioning of dogs. Her
book Canine Physical Therapy is available from www.wizardofpaws.net as is
her quarterly newsletter, Wizard of Paws, which features the latest in exercise
and rehabilitation. Contact Debbie at [email protected]
Digging in
sand or rice
4
• This activity is great to build
up the strength of the wrist
and shoulder flexors and the
scapular muscles.
• Bury a treat in the sand to
encourage digging.
Transferring weight from one forelimb to
the other
Transferring weight on and off forelimbs
Using a rocker board
• Place the dog’s back feet on the rocker board and his front feet on the floor.
• Rock the rocker board from side to side to transfer weight from one forelimb
to the other.
• Reposition the dog on the rocker board as shown and rock back and forth to
transfer weight on and off the forelimbs.
• You should visibly see the muscles in the shoulder activate as the weight is
shifted on and off.
• Perform this exercise until the dog fatigues.
at www.cleanrun.com
Would you like to improve your
dog’s agility performance while
helping to prevent injuries?
Strengthening the Performance Dog
By Debbie Gross Saunders
Strengthening the Performance Dog
By Debbie Gross Saunders
Dogs participating in performance sports such as agility require
crosstraining activities, including both a conditioning program
and strengthening exercises. Doing a variety of strengthening
exercises will improve your dog’s agility performance and, even
more important, will protect him against injuries. This video
demonstrates a variety of strengthening exercises that should be
part of your crosstraining program outside of agility. It includes
exercises to improve jumping strength and power, improve
collection and turning ability, increase forelimb and hind limb
strength, improve balance, and increase hind-end awareness.
Dogs doing agility and other performance canine sports
need to be treated as athletes. Strength and flexibility are
vital. Stretching prepares the body for movement, improving
performance on the agility field and aiding in the prevention
of common injuries. Learn how to properly stretch your dog.
This DVD contains instructions for stretching each part of your
dog’s body so that you can create a stretching routine to address
injuries or weaknesses in your dog. It also contains a complete
pre-agility stretching routine that you can use if you want a set
routine to follow.
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